the elderly's elves

imagine you are 87. you live in an assisted living home. at christmastime you long for a loved one's visit to share a meal and exchange gifts, but those are the aches of memories past. you have no family to speak of. 

I know this sounds like a very sappy phone commercial and the overture is melancholy..... the truth is this is the reality of many elderly, especially at the holiday season.

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. james 1:27

this christmas eve I sat in the assisted living foyer as my youngest napped in my arms. my husband, 2 sons, and neighbor friend visited the rooms with small token gifts to spread cheer and care for those who are invalid. as I sat there I visited with those around me and observed the comers and goers (aka the walkers and the motorized scooters). 
one gal, in her 80's, who had probably suffered a stroke at one point, was approached by an employee with a flower arrangement. the employee began to read the attached note. as the employee read the note tears welled up in the gal's eyes. she tried to fight the tiny pools collecting in her eyes by smiling. I couldn't help but wonder if she was teary because she was so touched by the gift or because she rather see her family than receive a flower arrangement. I couldn't help but think it was the latter.
sitting next to me was a capable fellow. he was dressed in attire that was similar to 1994's casual friday... tan dockers, pressed striped dress shirt, braided leather belt. we struck up some chit chat and I found out his wife had passed about 8 years ago. being from north dakota, the few of his remaining, aging family was there. back in his day he had come out here for the airline biz and lost touch with most of his family members. now his christmas consists of waiting in the foyer for the home's christmas buffet. after sitting and visiting with me for quite some time he still had another hour before the buffet opened. I want to adopt that grandpa. I am convinced he needs a regular trip to the park with a toddler or a home cooked turkey feast. he'd be an awesome grandpa....I don't even know if he had ever had the opportunity to be one at all....


my hope is this....
I hope to give perspective of something beyond the average scope of daily life and season celebrations. 
I hope that others will go buy holiday token gifts at bargain prices and save them for a visit to a home for the elderly.
I hope that we're all in the understanding that we're all susceptible to these circumstances.... illness, debilitation, loneliness, old age. 
I hope this reminds us of all we do have and dissolves the cares of what we don't have.


keep it real & nice. happy new year.

Merry Christmas 20.10.

every christmas. every december. every celebration..... is a time to share. 

Here's my economical approach to the christmas card... my stampless, paperless, effortless holiday greeting that hopefully brings cheer from my heart to yours. 

As my kids play in the street and dodge the passing neighbors in their cars, I type the tried and true tradition, the annual howorth5 update. We have had a momentous year full of change and challenges. We're still standing so,  we're still quite hopeful for a bright future. More importantly, we're delighted with the present.

Tim is now 10, and wants to spend every minute with a friend... any friend. He is a talented athlete, highly competitive, and extremely capable of ripping opponents apart on the field. Therefore, we are fortunate and very grateful to have invested coaches in Tim's life to teach him appropriateness and sportsmanship. It takes a village, right? Seriously though, we love Tim and the young man he is becoming.

Toby just turned 7 on the 7th. He is grasping the value of money. Earn it. Spend it. He seems to enjoy the transaction more than what is purchased. I miss that thrill. He knows how to enjoy life to it's fullest and is easily pleased. Toby is a lesson in contentment. What a blessing.

Tyler is 3 and wants every toy he sees for his birthday, which is on 2/23. He's been waiting for the big day all year. James and I, on the other hand, have been stomping on the "passenger side brake" of Tyler's life. We are indulging in this  toddler time fully aware that it ends too soon. I must say, don't let his age fool you though, at 3yo he is proficient at wii, xbox, ds, and is contemplating guitar hero.

As for James, he turned 40. It was unavoidable. 10.20.2010 was a memorable celebration as we mourned the loss of his youth. I delight in this and feel no shame as I refer to him as my old man. I know in due time he may call me an old hag or some equivalent...but, I might enjoy that. After all, he'll always be my old man. 

What can I say about myself? I'm crazy enough to swim 1.5k in the shark infested malibu triathlon. I'm crazy enough to want another baby. I'm crazy enough to love my husband, and he's crazy enough to love me. We defy the divorce rate, 12 years married come what may. It's a crazy life full of ups, downs, and all-arounds. My life isn't perfect, but it's certainly pleasant and full of loved ones. oh, and they're just as crazy, too. (if they'd just admit it.....)

Merry Christmas to you and yours! We hope much goodness and goodwill to all. May the peace of God reign in your hearts and in your christmas celebrations. It's not about santa ;o)

much love,

the Howorth5